'England's smallest school' Bleasdale Primary to close

Bleasdale Church of England Primary School will close its doors for good on Tuesday

A primary school said to be the smallest in England is closing after it was left with just two pupils.

Bleasdale Church of England Primary in the Forest of Bowland near Preston is shutting its doors after 180 years on Tuesday.

Lancashire County Council said it had decided it was no longer financially viable after one of the pupils was leaving to go to secondary school.

The head teacher said it was "very sad" as it was "the core of the community".

'Hit them hard'

Pupil numbers have fallen from a recent high of 16 within the past five years; and one of its two pupils, Jonah, is moving up to secondary school in September.

"It's been great - I've liked being here for the past seven years and made a few friends," said Jonah.

Associate head teacher David Fann said there was "shock and numbness" amongst the school's seven staff at its pending closure on the last day of the summer term.

He said: "It will hit them hard. When the school goes... I worry for the community."

The school, which was able to accommodate almost 60 pupils, was rated as "good" in it last inspection by Ofsted in 2015.

Bleasdale village recorded a population of 167 in the 2011 Census.